The Response of the QBO to Zonal-Mean Ozone Perturbations Consistent with the 11-Year Solar Cycle
Eugene C. Cordero [cordero@met.sjsu.edu], San Jose State University, CA; and Terry R. Nathan, University of California, Davis

The response of the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) to zonal-mean ozone perturbations consistent with the 11-year solar cycle is examined using a model of the tropical stratosphere. Driven by prescribed Kelvin and Rossby-gravity waves at the lower (100 hPa) boundary, the model accounts for wave driven changes in the zonal-mean circulation and thus can simulate the zonal wind, temperature, and ozone QBOs in the tropical stratosphere. We find that 11-year solar cycle-like perturbations to the zonal-mean ozone field alter both the wave-ozone and zonal-mean ozone feedbacks, which combine to affect the structure and period of the QBO. In particular, under conditions representative of solar max, the diabatic heating resulting from ozone feedbacks drives a slightly stronger QBO circulation and produces a shorter QBO period, in agreement with observations of quasi-decadal variability of the QBO. The implications of these results on quasi-decadal variability of the global circulation will also be discussed.